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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. board — a committee
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — the animal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — to get on
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rule — a law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rule — government
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. snap — to click
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com